Aging Research and Evaluation

research & Evaluation

NRC Aging Studies, Evaluation and Research

In 2010 the NRC began to organize work that has been focused on issues of aging as well as related work in the area of individuals with disabilities. The Aging Studies page brings together this body of work which has historically included projects such as work with the Iowa Caregivers Association focusing on issues for in-home and long-term care facility workers, evaluation of Mosaic's Road to Community project and "Money Follows the Person" which were efforts to de-institutionalize individuals with disabilities, the development of instruments to assist those providing care for terminally ill family members and most recently the Personal and Home Care Aide State Training Program (see below). This area of emphasis combines NRC work founded in family centered practice, research and evaluation and also draws on expertise developed through our public health focus (ICER) as well as our National Resource Center on In Home Services (NRCIHS).

The NRCIHS serves as a national center of expertise regarding child welfare practice and provides training and technical assistance to build the capacities of State and Tribal child welfare systems to safely maintain children in their homes; prevent children's initial placement or reentry into foster care; preserve, support, and stabilize families; and promote the well-being of children, youth, and families. The NRCIHS helps facilitate systemic changes to improve the administration, delivery, and effectiveness of child welfare practices and services that are sometimes described as family preservation, family support, placement prevention, tertiary prevention, and post-reunification. There is also a connection between these services and the aging population as grandparents become more important in the role of caregivers in our society.

Personal and Home Care Aide State Training Program

During the mid-90's and early this millenium the NRC worked with the Iowa Caregivers Assocation providing evaluation services to support ICA's work for caregivers in long-term care facilities as well as in in-home settings. The work in Iowa focusing on caregivers provided a solid foundation for The Iowa Department of Public Health application which has recently been awarded one of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to develop a Personal and Home Care Aide State Training Program (PHCAST). The PHCAST Program was created as part of the Affordable Care Act and is a three-year demonstration program to develop core competencies, pilot training curricula, and establish certification programs for personal and home care aides. $4.2 million was awarded to California, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, and North Carolina for the project. The six states that are participating in the three-year PHCAST Program are expected to train over 5,100 personal home care aides by 2013. ICER is providing the evaluation for the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Evaluation of the Iowa Consortium for Comprehensive Cancer Control

ICER provides a variety of evaluations for the ICCCC which is funded in part by Iowa Department of Public Health and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Iowa Consortium for Comprehensive Cancer Control's website is located at: http://www.canceriowa.org/

Evaluation of the First Year of the IowaCares Program

Commissioned by the Iowa Department of Human Services, the report was completed in December 2008 with the Public Policy Center and Iowa Center for Evaluation Research, a part of the National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice in the UI School of Social Work. Three methods were employed for the evaluation. Surveys were used to assess enrollee perceptions, claims data were evaluated to determine outcomes of care, and focus groups and personal interviews were conducted to assess perceptions of hospital providers and administrators. The full report can be accessed by clicking here. An executive summary is also available [ click here ]. For other information you may visit the UI Public Policy Center .

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